


How Am I Alive?

by Meynara



Series: How Big a Change Can One Choice Make? [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 07:29:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7499448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/pseuds/Meynara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When one thing changes, one thing that should have happened -- but doesn't -- and the effect snowballs into the future. Beginning before the Kyuubi attack. Multi-chapter work turned to multiple one-shot format. Beginning of a series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Am I Alive?

**Author's Note:**

> Just to keep things nice, I'll be listing character ages as we go along. This will be very important later on. This chapter!
> 
> Minato/Kushina: 22  
> Rin/Kakashi/Obito: 14

There were many words that could be used to describe one Minato Namikaze. Fast, _calm_ , **_collected_** , able to kill a _thousand_ men in one go. But right now – right now, there was only one word that fit.

 

 **Desperate**.

 

His younger student had been captured, and his only remaining student had gone after her with a team. Minato himself hadn't been able to go after them until now, and his heart was racing. Something didn't feel right, that moment of utter dread that something had gone completely and utterly wrong – and that there was nothing he could do about it. No way that he could reassure his two remaining students that everything would be alright, that things would go back to normal as they always had.

 

The coppery tang of blood entered his nose, but he made no indication that he had noticed it. He was a shinobi, it was absolutely nothing new to him, but the scent did cause worry. Was any of that from his two students? Was Rin alright? Was Kakashi? The sight coming into view was not reassuring.

 

Bodies, bodies everywhere resting in cooling pools of blood. His two students were near the center and feeling his heart move up to the area of his throat, he came closer. The shock of silver hair that was nearer was checked first, two fingers slipping to press against his neck. There was a pulse, good, a good sign. He let out a sigh before his gaze moved over to his other student. There was a gaping hole in her chest – from how their bodies were it appeared Kakashi had inflicted the blow himself. That would warrant investigating later, but for now, he moved over to her checking for a pulse and not expecting one.

 

However...

 

...there was a pulse. Very weak, and erratic, but there. Arms moved to scoop up the girl, holding her close even as he nudged Kakashi quickly with a sandaled foot. “Kakashi. Kakashi! Wake up, we can't stay here!” It was true, all of the enemy nin were dead, but that didn't mean they could rest.

 

Slowly, Kakashi lifted his head. His eyes – eye, the sharingan quickly covered by his headband – looking up at Minato was filled with guilt. Before he could speak, however, the blond frowned. “We can talk later, for now we need to go home.”

 

Unseen and unknown by the pair, the third, presumed dead, member of their team was making his way to Madara Uchiha, certain that Rin was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

When Rin opened her eyes, she knew almost immediately where she was – she had been in this building too many times to not know that she was in the intensive care area of Konoha's hospital. What was surprising to the young medic was the fact she was alive at all. She had thrown herself in the path of Kakashi's attack, fully intending to die – knowing that to protect the village, she needed to do so – but despite that, she lived.

 

While mulling over the fact she was alive and there was still a hospital in the village for her to be resting in, the door opened. Expecting (or hoping) for a more familiar face, she was disappointed by the fact that it was a civilian nurse, one that she hadn't yet had a chance to really meet. Initially, the nurse didn't notice that the newly made jinchurriki was awake, but once she noticed the open brown eyes staring at her, the clipboard in her hand dropped.

 

“Oh my – I – you're awake!” The woman looked like she was easily startled, eyes wide and almost looking like she could be related to the girl in the bed, bearing the same hair and eye color, but being a good fifteen years older. “How are you feeling, Nohara-san?”

 

“Thirsty, can I have a drink?” She started to push herself up on her hands but was quickly stopped by the nurse with a gentle hand.

 

“Let me help you, let me raise the bed, okay?” The beds weren't fancy, but one could lift the end of the bed to let a patient sit without any effort. “Okay, I'll get you some water, Nohara-san, but then I'll need to go alert your doctor that you're awake.”

 

The teen gave a small nod as the nurse went to get a glass of water, handing it to Rin (along with a straw) before scampering on out of the room – leaving the clipboard behind.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey there, sleepyhead.” Rin looked up to see her sensei walking into the hospital room, a bright smile spreading across her face to match his own. “Little bird told me you'd woken up, so I thought I'd come see for myself!” The truth was, he had been in the hospital most of the time since her return to the village, leaving only when absolutely necessary for himself or for the village. In contrast, Kakashi had done as much as he could to avoid the hospital – and possibly didn't know still that Rin had woken up.

 

“Yep! I'm awake! How – is Kakashi alright?” She wanted to ask something else, clearly, but worry for her teammate overrode curiosity for a moment.

 

Only a moment.

 

“He's...well, you know how he is,” Minato laughed softly, shaking his head as he stepped further into the room. “More importantly, how are you?”

 

“...confused,” she said finally, after a pause. “I shouldn't...why am I alive? Is the village safe? They – they were going to unleash--” She rested a hand on her stomach, where she felt the tailed-beast within her. “--this, they were going to destroy Konoha!”

 

“Rin, I don't know what all you saw but...the enemy was wiped out. Kakashi doesn't know who did it, but his blow didn't kill you.” Minato frowned, looking down at his student. “And as for how you're still alive...something was keeping you alive, most likely the tailed-beast within you, and once we got you back home and stabilized, I did what I could to fix the seal and negate what they had done. You're as safe as any jinchurriki can be now.”

 

For all that she should be excited, happy to be alive...Rin wasn't feeling it. “Something doesn't feel right, sensei. Like, like I'm not supposed to be here.” She knew it deep within her soul – she was not meant to be here. But she couldn't explain it beyond that feeling.

 

Perhaps she was wrong? Perhaps she was meant to be here and the situation had just messed with her mind?

 

“Well, meant to be or not, you're here Rin, and I'm glad for it. You rest up, okay? Kakashi and I are counting on you!”

 

“R-right!”

 

As Minato turned to go back out of the room, he paused. “...is there anything you'd like me to tell your mother? She's been worried.”

 

“Just...tell her I'm alright. Don't tell her how bad things were, please, sensei?”

 

“....very well.” He let out a sigh before leaving, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

 

**Author's Note:**

> EDITED 8/22/17
> 
> Okay so I've decided rather than write this in a conventional sense, I'm going to write a series of one-shots in a universe as they come to me. I have two more stories that are in my head for this, one of which I'm about to start on, and I finally decided it would be easiest to just mark this as done and make it the first work in a series.
> 
> So there is more to come, just not on this work itself!


End file.
